Typically, when mailing a letter or shipping a package, the sender has to affix prepaid postage (e.g., stamps) to the item being mailed. The amount of postage due is generally calculated based on the item's weight, size, route information and the class of delivery (e.g., expedited vs. regular). If the amount of postage is not correctly calculated, the mail item may not be delivered. Thus, the sender is required to spend the time to weigh and measure the mail item, find the exact rate from a chart based on the route information and delivery class, and accordingly affix the proper amount of postage.
Some shipping services (e.g., FedEx®/UPS®) provide alternative payment methods to affixing prepaid postage to a mail item. Such methods nevertheless still require the sender to determine the exact size and weight of the package and to provide that information along with routing and delivery class data to a computer that is connected to a printer. As long as the sender has provided his billing or account information, the provided information is then embedded by way of special purpose software running on the computer into a barcode or some sort of a label that is printed by the printer.
The sender will then have to affix the printed label to the mail item and drop off the mail item in a special mail box or location. Without the label and the information embedded into the label, the package is generally undeliverable. Thus, if a sender does not have access to a computer and a printer, he is unable to ship the package. Even if the sender does have access to a computer and a printer, the process associated with having to interact with the computer to enter the needed data, and printing and fixing the label to the package are rather inconvenient, not to mention the steps involving weighing and measuring the mail item noted above.